The Second Time Around
by Christiangirl
Summary: Jarrod Barkley has a very hard time after the loss of his beloved wife, Beth.  The Barkley Clan is worried about their 'Pappy', since he hasn't been himself since her death.  Something WILL happen to change that and possibly change Jarrod in the process.
1. Chapter 1: A Whirlwind Romance: The Past

_**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own them (BV Characters) what ever were you all thinking? If I had owned the series, they would have long been released on DVD, all four seasons. Anyhoo, it sure is fun to play with them for a bit. Don't worry, I'll put them all back in one piece! HEHEHEHE! This is my first BV Fanfic, sp please have mercy on me.**_

_**Summary: Jarrod Barkley has a very hard time after the loss of his beloved wife, Beth. The Barkley Clan is worried about their 'Pappy', since he hasn't been himself since her death. Something WILL happen to change that and possibly change Jarrod in the process.**_

_**THE SECOND TIME AROUND**_

_**Chapter One: A Whirlwind Romance (The Past)**_

_Jarrod's thoughts took him to past. He thought on the events of the past year and a half._

_Jarrod Barkley looked out the window of the train, watching the people getting on the train. It was a warm day in Washington, DC. Jarrod was getting prepared for the long ride back to Stockton, California. He had secured a pillow and a blanket from the train conductor. He was all prepared to sleep all or at least most of way to the west coast, that is until he looked out the window and saw her, a vision of beauty._

'_I hope she comes to my car.' Jarrod thought to himself. In all of his 32 years of life, he never really had a serious relationship. But, when he saw the young woman waiting to get on the train, he knew he wouldn't be getting the much need rest he required._

_The young woman was about enter the car to the right, but for some reason unknown to her, she felt led to go to the left. It was as if she felt some kind of force pulling her to the left._

'_For some reason, I must go left,' the young woman thought to herself._

_As she entered the car on the left, she saw an amazing looking dark-haired man. She seemed to have caught his eye as well, because he stood up and offered her his assistance._

"_Let me, young lady," Jarrod gallantly took her bag and put it on the overhead shelf._

"_Oh, thank you," the young woman began, "how nice it is to see that chivalry isn't lost."_

"_Jarrod Barkley, at your service, young lady." Jarrod offered by way of an introduction with a warm smile on his face._

"_I'm Beth Collins," the young woman replied, returning Jarrod's smile._

"_Where are you heading?" Jarrod asked, unable to stop the question, realizing that he was getting kind of personal with a stranger. "I'm sorry if I'm being too forward too soon."_

"_No problem," Beth began, smiling at the handsome young stranger. "It's not like you're asking for my address."_

"_No, it's not." Came Jarrod's simple reply._

"_Well, I'm heading to Denver, Colorado." Beth replied._

"_We'll be riding together for quite a while," a very pleased Jarrod replied._

"_Oh really," Beth began, "where are you heading?"_

"_I'm heading on to Stockton, California." Jarrod replied. "Ever heard of it?"_

"_No, I haven't." Beth replied. _

"_Well, perhaps I should tell you about it." Jarrod replied, happy to have such a lovely traveling companion._

_Jarrod and Beth made small talk as they discussed the different scenery passing by. Beth told Jarrod about the many different plants and shrubbery on the countryside._

"_Are you hungry, Beth?" Jarrod asked._

"_I'm famished," Beth replied._

"_Let's go to the dining car, okay?" Jarrod asked, his blue eyes pleading._

"_I just can't say know to your beautiful blue eyes." Beth replied, causing Jarrod to blush slightly. With that, Jarrod and Beth headed for the dining car._

_**The Dining Car**_

_The dining car was bustling with activity. It was crowded, but Jarrod was able to find him and Beth a table. The waiter took their orders and offered them different drinks and appetizers while they waited for their meal._

_Their meals were brought out to them. They ate in companionable silence, sneaking glances at each other. After they were done with their meals, they enjoyed dessert with a nice cup of coffee. They enjoyed each other's company so much that they hadn't realized that they were the only ones left in the dining car. Beth looked at her watch and couldn't believe what she was seeing._

"_Oh, my!" Beth exclaimed lightly. _

"_What's wrong, Beth?" Jarrod asked._

"_Just look," Beth replied, smiling at Jarrod. She then showed him her watch. _

"_Wow!" Jarrod replied, shock evident in his voice. "It's after 10 at night. Time sure flies when you're having fun. Especially with a someone as lovely as you."_

"_Oh you!" Beth replied, laughing. "I bet you say that to all the women."_

"_Believe it or not, Beth," Jarrod began, his tone becoming serious. "I haven't said that to anyone but you."_

"_I find that hard to believe," Beth began, totally shocked at Jarrod's admission. "Someone as handsome and dashing as you should have women knocking down your door to get to you."_

"_Well, it's not like that and I'm not like that." Jarrod replied honestly. _

_About a half hour later, the conductor announced that Denver would be the next stop. Jarrod felt his heart drop as he realized that Beth would be leaving him and he wasn't sure if he was ready to let the incredible creature in front of him leave his presence._

_A few minutes later, the train pulled up at the Denver depot. Jarrod reached up and retrieved Beth's luggage and handed it to her. _

_As the train came to a full stop, Jarrod asked Beth if he could kiss her. Beth gave him permission, and he planted a chaste kiss on her lips. Beth did something that shocked Jarrod when he made as though he was getting ready to get off at the Denver depot._

"_You stay here," Beth pleaded tearfully. She did not want a long goodbye from the handsome stranger. "Please?"_

"_Okay," Jarrod replied softly, so softly Beth could barely hear him. Jarrod honored her wish, at least he tried to. With that, Beth tearfully ran off the train._

_Jarrod sat on the train, contemplating if he should honor her wishes and let her walk out of his life….or, if he should just follow his heart and join her in Denver._

_The conductor appeared to let Jarrod know that the train would be pulling of in 10 minutes. It was at the moment that Jarrod made up his mind._

"_May I have my luggage?" Jarrod asked the smiling conductor._

"_Are you sure, Mr. Barkley?" The conductor asked, already knowing the answer before Jarrod gave it._

"_Yes, Sir, I am." A smiling Jarrod Barkley replied. With that, Jarrod was heading off the train with his luggage in tow._

_When the train pulled off, Beth was totally surprised to see a smiling Jarrod Barkley walking toward her. Despite what she told Jarrod before she left the train, she was elated to see the handsome young man approaching her._

"_I know you told me to stay on the train," Jarrod began, defending himself, "but I just couldn't let you walk out of my life without a fight."_

"_Jarrod," a teary-eyed Beth began, "we just met, but I am glad that you decided not to take heed to my words."_

"_So am I." Jarrod whispered in Beth's ear. _

"_I'm going to get a ride on the stage coach." Beth began. She would have continued but Jarrod cut her off._

"_Why do you need a stage coach, when I am here?" Jarrod asked incredulously._

"_Well, you don't have a horse in your pocket, do you?" Beth asked, laughing. "I can't possibly ride on your back, can I?"_

"_Oh, what a Smart Alec you are?" Jarrod replied. _

"_Well?" Beth replied, with her arms folded and tapping her right foot on the ground. Beth really enjoyed the carefree banter she was having with the handsome and dashing dark-haired man._

"_I was just about to rent a horse from the livery stable up the road there," Jarrod replied, nodding toward the livery stable. _

"_Oh," Beth began, "I know the owner. His name is Jedidiah Smith. But we call him Jed."_

"_That's good." Jarrod replied. "Jed, you say?"_

"_Yes, Jed I say." Beth replied. With that, the new friends headed in the direction of the livery stable._

_As they entered the livery stable, the proprietor, Jed Smith greeted Beth first._

"_Hey there, little Missy," Jed began, addressing Beth by the nickname he gave her. He knew Beth and her family for many years. He watched Beth grow from a cute little princess into the beautiful woman standing before him. "What can I do fer ya, my dear?"_

"_My friend, Jarrod Barkley," Beth began, pulling Jarrod forward, "needs your help."_

"_What kin I do fer ya, young feller?" Jed asked Jarrod._

"_I'll be needing a horse." Jarrod replied._

"_How long were ya lookin to keep the horse, young feller?" Jed asked._

"_I'm not sure yet," Jarrod replied, looking deeply into Beth's brown eyes._

"_Why don't ya know?" Jed asked._

"_Well," Jarrod began, "I'm not sure how long I'll be staying. Um, I mean it's up to Miss Collins." Jarrod couldn't believe the old man was giving him such a hard time._

"_Jed, come on," Beth began, sighing heavily, "he's only looking to rent a horse. You'd think he was asking to court one of your daughters."_

"_I'm a just a coverin my hind quarters," Jed began, "I need to be sure that this young feller won't be a takin my horse."_

"_Sir, I assure you, no matter how long I keep the horse," Jarrod began, "I fully intend to pay you every last penny for him."_

"_That's what I wanna hear, young feller." Jed replied happily. With that, Jed handed the horses reigns over to Jarrod. "Young feller, meet Prudence." Jarrod took the horse's reigns. After bidding Mr. Smith a farewell, Jarrod and Beth left the livery stable. When Jarrod waited until he was sure they were out of earshot from Mr. Smith._

"_Prudence?" Jarrod asked incredulously. "He actually named a horse Prudence? What was thinking? I mean, who in their right mind names a horse Prudence?"_

"_Jarrod," Beth replied smiling, "you say to-MAY-to, he says to-MAH-to."_

"_We're a comedienne, eh?" Jarrod began, and then continued his thought. "Now I know how the people I interrogate on the witness stand feel. You'd think I was asking that Jed character for a kidney or something."_

"_You have to understand," Beth began, "Jed had been robbed at gunpoint for his horses too many times to mention. He's just being cautious with a stranger. You can't blame him for that, can you?"_

"_I guess I can't blame him for that." Jarrod replied. _

"_So, are we going to ride on that horse together?" Beth asked, not too sure about riding together on one horse._

"_Oh, right." Jarrod replied, totally forgetting about getting a one horse carriage. Well, he did have one horse, he just needed a coach to hitch the horse to. "Does Mr. Smith have a coach I could rent?" _

"_Well, he happens to have a few." Beth replied. "Let's go back."_

_Jarrod really dreaded going back to Jed Smith's place, but he had no other choice._

_Jarrod was able to secure the coach and connected the horse to the buggy. He and Beth were on their way to her home, and after he dropped her off, he headed to the fancy hotel that Beth referred him to. _

_When Jarrod found the hotel, he got out of the buggy and handed the reigns over to the young horse handler, while he headed toward the front entrance of the hotel._

_**Denver City Hotel**_

_When Jarrod entered the hotel lobby, he noticed that no expense was spared. The hotel clerk noticed the handsome Jarrod Barkley looking in awe of the grand lobby._

"_May I help you, young man?" The middle-aged, but beautiful hotel clerk asked._

"_I was wondering if you have any rooms available?" Jarrod asked._

"_Why yes, sir, we do." The clerk replied. "What type of room are you interested in?"_

"_Well, I don't know how long I'll be in town," Jarrod began, "so, perhaps a home away from home type setting?"_

"_I think I have the perfect setting for you," the clerk began, "you look like the fancy kind of young fellow who appreciates the finer things life has to offer. How about a grand suite?"_

"_What's the grand suite like?" Jarrod asked curious about the suite. _

"_The grand suite has a fully equipped kitchen, a master bedroom with a bath." The clerk replied. "This suite also has a living room with a daybed, just in case you have a friend that may want to stay overnight."_

"_I'm sold," Jarrod replied, "I'll take the grand suite." The clerk gave Jarrod the keys to the room, as well as a menu for room service._

_When Jarrod finally arrive at his room on the 4__th__ floor, he wasn't really expecting too much from the room, as many a hotel clerk always over exaggerated the condition of their hotel rooms. But, when Jarrod entered Room 424, all of that went out the door, so-to-speak. The suite was all that the hotel clerk raved about and more. The builder of the hotel spared no expense with regard to the exquisite appointments in the beautiful suite._

'_Mother and Audra would be quite at home in this beautiful suite.' Jarrod thought to himself. With that, Jarrod took a quick bath and then headed to bed._

_For the next few days, Jarrod and Beth spent much time together. They just couldn't get enough of each other. Their days were spent with Beth showing Jarrod around her hometown and their nights were spent with Jarrod wining and dining Beth. She felt like royalty with the way Jarrod treated her. _

"_Jarrod?" Beth asked as she and Jarrod shared a picnic lunch date._

"_Yes, Sweetheart?" Jarrod replied in askance._

"_Did you ever get a chance to get to the telegraph office and let your family know where you are?" Beth asked._

"_No, Sweetheart I did," Jarrod replied. "You, I hadn't even thought of it."_

"_You haven't!" Beth exclaimed, putting herself in his family's shoes._

"_I've been having such a great time," Jarrod began, "that I really hadn't thought about it."_

"_You haven't thought about it?" Beth asked, attempting sound angry, and failing miserable, being that Jarrod lifted her up in his arms and kissed cheek. _

"_Look, Beth," Jarrod began, feeling ashamed that he hadn't really thought about his family. "I'll get to the telegraph office after dinner tonight and let my family know where I am and that I'm doing well, okay?"_

"_Do you solemnly swear?" Beth asked smiling at the handsome young attorney._

"_I solemnly swear, Sweetheart." Jarrod replied smiling ever so sweetly at Beth._

_Later that evening, as Jarrod sat in the living room of his hotel suite, he finally realized something: he had fallen in love with Beth. He knew that he had to eventually return to Stockton and he wasn't sure he was ready to leave Denver, and more importantly, Beth. All of the sudden, Jarrod felt the need to go and see Beth. He knew the hour was late and that she was probably in bed by now, but he had to see her and let her know how he felt about her and he also needed to know if she felt the same way._

_**At Beth's House**_

"_Who could be knocking at my door at this hour?" Beth asked herself softly. At the persistent knocking Beth replied: "I'm coming!" Beth threw on her robe. When she opened the door, her mouth hung open in shock._

"_Jarrod, what brings you out here at this ungodly hour?" Beth asked. She stepped aside to allow Jarrod entrance._

"_Beth," Jarrod began breathlessly. "I really need to speak with you."_

"_Jarrod, did you run all the way from the hotel to my house?" Beth asked, taking in Jarrod's disheveled appearance and the fact that he was out of breath._

"_Yes I did." Jarrod replied, finally catching his breath._

"_Would like anything to drink?" Beth asked, already knowing the answer to her question._

"_Some water would be nice for now." Jarrod replied smiling. With that, Beth went to the pump to retrieve enough water for both her and Jarrod._

_Once they were settled and both were enjoying cool glasses of water, Beth returned to the matter at hand._

"_You said you needed to talk with me?" Beth asked._

"_Yes, Beth I do, I really do." Jarrod replied._

"_Well, I'm all ears, Jarrod," Beth replied. Just then, Beth remembered that she had some cake and went about to cut both her and Jarrod a piece._

"_Beth, I didn't get a chance to get to the telegraph office tonight," Jarrod began. He would have continued, but Beth interrupted him._

"_Jarrod," Beth began unable to keep the incredulous tone out of her voice. "You mean to tell me you didn't tell your family where you are? I can't believe it. You make sure you get to the telegraph office first thing in the morning."_

"_I think I'm falling in love with you," Jarrod blurted out. "No, I know that I AM in love with you. I hope you feel the same way. But, if you don't feel the same way, I'll just pack my bags and head out for Stockton first thing in the morning." As Jarrod spoke those words, one of his relatives' favorite sayings came to mind: "Don't put all of your eggs into one basket." That's exactly what Jarrod was doing with his admission of love to Beth, and he knew it. He was going for broke._

"_Jarrod, I didn't know you felt that way!" Beth exclaimed, as the tears began streaming down her face. She would have continued, but Jarrod interrupted her upon seeing the tears streaming down her face._

"_Okaaaaaaaay…you're crying," Jarrod began in concern. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Jarrod was not sure about the crying game._

"_Oh, it is very good, Jarrod," Beth began smiling through her tears, "very good indeed."_

"_Really?" Jarrod asked in a boyish fashion._

"_You've never heard of tears of joy before?" Beth asked, amazed that the man whom many in Washington, DC kept raving on how he was an old soul in a young body, never heard of women shedding tears of joy before. "Didn't you tell me that you had a younger sister?"_

"_Yes, I do remember mentioning Audra a few times in conversation." Jarrod admitted._

"_You also mentioned your mother, a Victoria, I do believe, right?" Beth asked Jarrod again._

"_Yes." Jarrod replied._

"_You never seen any of them shedding tears of joy before?" Beth asked._

"_Well, once after the war, when me and Nick came home safe," Jarrod began, "I de recall seeing her crying."_

"_Those, my friend," Beth replied feeling proud that she bested Jarrod in knowing something that he didn't, "were tears of joy, which I'm shedding now. Oh, and by the way, I love you too. I have, since the first time I laid eyes on you."_

"_You have?" Jarrod asked in total shock. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

"_My mother always taught me not to throw myself at a man." Beth replied. "Mama always said if it was meant to be, it would be."_

"_That's funny," Jarrod began, "my mother's always telling Audra that same thing."_

"_It's great advice," Beth replied, "it keeps the riff-raff at bay. It also keeps our brothers from having to always fight to keep the boys from spouting off lies about us._

_Just then, Jarrod felt the overwhelming need for one more question._

"_Beth, Honey?" Jarrod began in askance._

"_Yes, Jarrod?" Beth replied in askance._

"_Will you marry me?" Jarrod asked._

"_Are you sure, Jarrod?" Beth asked, wanting to be sure that Jarrod had thoroughly thought things through, being that they knew each other for a week at best._

"_I've never been surer about anything else in my life." Jarrod replied. "You said you loved me, didn't you? I know I love you, so what's holding us back?"_

"_Jarrod, I do love you," Beth began, "but we've only know each other for a very short time." Beth would have continued, but Jarrod interrupted her._

"_We love each other," Jarrod began almost nearing tears, but he held them at bay, "that's all that we need."_

"_Okay," Beth relented, no longer able to come up with anything further to deter the determined young attorney, "I'll marry you." With that, Jarrod lifted Beth up in his arms and kissed her in a chaste manner._

"_When do you want us to get married?" Beth asked Jarrod once he released her. The answer that came from the determined attorney shocked her._

"_First thing in the morning." Jarrod replied._

"_Jarrod, don't you want your family to share our happiness, as we become husband and wife?" Beth asked, surprised that Jarrod wanted to get married without his family being in attendance. Her family lived there and she could easily send one of her nieces or nephews to gather them._

"_Beth, I do want them to share in our happiness," Jarrod began, "I don't want to wait. I want to come back to Stockton with you by my side as my wife and me as your husband. If it's too soon for you, let me know. I apologize for my selfishness." Jarrod was feeling bad, he hadn't really thought about Beth's feelings._

"_There's no problem at all, Jarrod," Beth began, attempting to encourage Jarrod. "I just thought you'd like your family to share in our happiness, is all."_

"_Well, there's another nickname that those older guys call me in Washington, DC, Beth," Jarrod admitted. "Once you hear my nickname, you understand my nature a little better and. _

"_And what nickname is that, Jarrod?" Beth asked curiously._

"_Firecracker." Jarrod replied simply._

"_Firecracker?" Beth replied laughing._

"_Well," Jarrod began, "they happened to be in Sacramento when I've been doing some lobbying against the railroad's taking over people's farms. Even though I didn't win that case, they liked what they saw. They said that I was like a firecracker, and that's what they need down in Washington, DC. I've also had a reputation for going whole hog after what I want." With that, they made plans to head to the Justice of the Peace in Denver to join them in Holy Matrimony._

_**TBC**_

**Author's Note: The title, 'The Second Time Around', denotes two things: 1.) A second time around for romance for Jarrod after the death of his beloved Beth; and 2.) A second meeting with someone from Jarrod's past (a few short years back) that he'll end up dealing with again. WARNING: this is an AU fan fiction, so some of things in story may not have actually occurred in any of the Big Valley episodes. I'll have lots things flip-flopping all around, so this is so NOT canon! So my apologies to those who are not too fond of the AU type fan fictions.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Brief Marriage

**Disclaimers: See Chapter One, please.**

**THE SECOND TIME AROUND**

**Chapter Two: A Brief Marriage**

Jarrod's thoughts continue on in this chapter.

_At the ranch, Victoria Barkley and her two sons, Nick and Heath Barkley are in the parlour, wondering whatever happened to Jarrod._

"_Mother," a slightly irritated Nick Barkley began, "wasn't Jarrod due back here about a week ago?"_

"_Yes, Nick," an exasperated Victoria Barkley replied._

"_Then where is he?" Nick asked again. "That paperwork is piling up. It's not going to get up and carry itself down to the recorder's office."_

"_We're just going to have to wait until Jarrod gets home, whenever that is." Victoria replied. She was slightly worried. Jarrod would always telegraph the family whenever things held him up. But not this time._

"_Boy howdy, Nick!" Heath piped up in an attempt to lighten the mood in the parlour. There seemed to be a very somber mood and Heath didn't like the way it was making him feel. Heath would have continued, but Nick cut him off._

"_Boy howdy, yourself, Heath." Nick replied. "Pappy should know better. He should have telegraphed us to let us know that he is okay."_

"_Now Nick, you know that Pappy is a big boy and he definitely knows how to take care of himself." Heath replied, then continued with his thought, "but you are right, Nick. Jarrod should have contacted us to let us know that he was okay."_

_Just then, they heard a horse pull up to the house. They heard voices, one of which was Ciego's voice greeting someone, but they couldn't make out the other voices. Ciego always had such a robust and happy voice, though. They then heard the horses galloping away. Just then, the front door flung wide open and in came Jarrod, much to the happiness of the three people in the parlour._

"_Anyone home?" Came Jarrod's most welcomed voice. Victoria ran and nearly flung herself at her eldest child._

"_Jarrod, Darling," a very happy Victoria Barkley began, "it's so nice to have you back home." _

"_What took you so long to come home, Jarrod?" Nick asked slightly irritated, mostly due to all of the legal paperwork piling up on the desk in the study._

"_Hello to you too, Nick." Jarrod replied. Just then, a young woman came sheepishly through the door behind Jarrod, catching Victoria's eye. Nick and Heath upon watching their Mom, also saw the very pretty young woman._

"_Who do we have we here?" A very curious Victoria Barkley asked._

"_Um, Mother, Nick and Heath," a very nervous Jarrod began, "this is Beth Collins, um Beth Barkley, my wife." _

"_Your wife?" Nick asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of his voice. "So that's what took you so long?"_

"_Yes, Nick, Jarrod began, "we met about two weeks ago. We were married about a three days ago. And yes, Nick, that's what took us so long to get here."_

"_Well, congratulations to you both." Victoria replied. "Welcome to the family, Beth, it's so nice to meet you."_

"_Thank you, Mrs. Barkley," Beth began, "it's also nice to meet you all, too. But, I feel as though I already know you all. Jarrod has told me all about you. Where's Audra?"_

"_She's in Paris with some of her friends." Victoria replied. "She should be back in two days. Have you two eaten yet?"_

"_We had a light meal on the train, Mother." Jarrod responded. "But some cake and coffee would be nice."_

"_You're in luck, Jarrod," Victoria began smiling at her eldest child. "We were just getting ready to go into the dining room and have some of Silas' fresh from the oven yellow pound cake."_

"_Mrs. Barkley, if you would excuse me," Beth began, "I need to freshen up a bit."_

"_Okay," Victoria began and then continued her thought. "Beth, we are definitely going to have to do something about you calling me Mrs. Barkley. Please call me Victoria, or even better yet, call me Mother. You are Jarrod's wife." After a moment, a shocked expression came over Victoria's face. Amidst all of the excitement of Jarrod bringing home a new wife, Victoria seemed to forget the most important thing._

"_What's wrong, Mother," a concerned Jarrod Barkley asked, as he noticed the expression on Victoria's face._

"_I just realized something." Victoria replied._

"_And what's that, Lovely Lady?" Jarrod asked smiling lovingly at his favorite lady._

"_I'm a mother-in-law." A very happy and a very pleased Victoria Barkley replied. With that, everyone shared a hearty laugh._

_As the evening began to wear on, Heath and Nick bid their mother and the newlyweds a good night, knowing that tomorrow was a big day for them, as they had to head out on the range for some fence mending and cattle roundup._

_Victoria also bid the newlyweds good night and headed up to her bedroom to curl up with the Good Book before she drifted off to sleep, leaving Jarrod and Beth alone for the first time since their arrival at the ranch._

"_Wow, Jarrod," Beth began happily, "what a wonderful family you have."_

"_I told you they were wonderful, didn't I?" Jarrod asked smiling amorously at his lovely wife. "I guess seeing is believing, huh?"_

"_No, it's just that many times people tend to over exaggerate a bit." Beth began, unable to stop a yawn that escaped her mouth. "Sorry."_

"_it's time to get you, my love, to sleep." Jarrod replied. "It's been a long day for us, hasn't it?"_

"_Yes it has, my dear husband." Beth replied, remembering the amorous nature of Jarrod. With that, they both headed up to bed._

_**The Next Morning**_

_Early the next morning, Nick came in, his loud voice carrying throughout the whole house._

"_Mother!" Nick yelled._

"_Nicholas!" Victoria scolded. "Keep your voice down._

"_Why?" Nick asked surprised at his mother. "What's going on with you, Mother? You're jumpier than a frog with hiccups!"_

"_Nick, Jarrod and Beth are still sleeping and I'm going to bring them breakfast in bed."_

"_They're still in bed?" An incredulous Nick asked. "At this hour? It's nearly 10 o'clock in the morning!" Since Victoria was busily preparing the breakfast tray for Jarrod and Beth, she didn't respond, then Nick continued._

"_What's all this?" Nick asked, pulling on the floral arrangement Victoria put together, causing her to pop Nick's knuckles with a wooden spoon. _

"_What was that for, Mother?" Nick whined in askance. "What did I do?"_

"_Nick it took me nearly 2 hours to put that floral arrangement together and you're aiming to tear it apart in less than 2 seconds." An exasperated Victoria replied. "I'm planning a reception for Jarrod and Beth this Saturday. I'm hoping they'd have a wedding that we can share in their happiness."_

"_But, Mother, they're already married." Nick replied._

"_Yes, Nick they are," Victoria began, "but we weren't there and I would have loved to see my oldest boy get married."_

"_Yeah, Mother," Nick began smiling, and hugged his mother. "You do have a point, and it would have been nice for me and Heath to have been there to see our Pappy take the marriage plunge."_

_While Victoria was nervously buzzing about the kitchen trying to get the breakfast tray together, as well as make plans for the upcoming reception, Heath came bounding down the back staircase leading into the kitchen, wondering what all the fuss was about._

"_What's going on?" The blonde cowboy asked, as he noticed the chaos in the kitchen._

"_Well, Mother here is getting a breakfast tray together for our still sleeping newlyweds." Nick replied laughing, earning him a swat on the arm from Victoria, causing him to laugh even harder._

"_Oh, about that," a sheepish Heath Barkley began, "they told me to let you know that they were heading into town this morning. They left about an hour or so ago. I guess I forgot to tell you." At about that time, Nick had just about had enough, nearly falling on the floor and laughing so hard his sides ached._

"_You can stop laughing at me, Nick!" Victoria mock scolded her middle son. _

_**In The Town**_

_Jarrod and Beth road into town in the Barkley buggy. Jarrod couldn't concentrate, as he longed to kiss Beth._

"_Jarrod, you had better keep your eye on the road," Beth began giggling. Jarrod's kisses had a way of making her very giddy. His kisses were like the new wine her mother had told her about. She started to laugh, causing Jarrod to look her way, for just a brief second._

"_What's so funny, my Love?" Jarrod asked lovingly._

"_I was just thinking about my Uncle Ned," Beth began, smiling at the memory of Uncle Ned's fish tales, as the family fondly referred her uncle's stories._

"_What's story on Uncle Ned?" Jarrod asked. "And when do I meet this Uncle Ned?"_

"_Well, he and Aunt Lucy went back east to take care of her parents." Beth replied, sadly remembering the news that the doctors said there wasn't anything they could do for the ailing, elderly couple._

"_Hey, they'll be none of that," Jarrod began, lifting up his wife's chin, getting her to look at him. _

"_I'm sorry, Jarrod," Beth replied. Beth then began telling Jarrod about her uncle's in-laws and the news of their illness. Jarrod then promised her that after the festivities of their reception, they would make plans to see her aunt and uncle back east, since they were planning a honeymoon in Paris and would be shipping out from the east coast._

_Jarrod and Beth rode through the town. Jarrod pointed out his law office out to Beth, causing to smile proudly at her husband._

"_Jarrod Barkley, Attorney-At-Law," Beth exclaimed proudly, kissing him on the cheek._

"_Beth, be careful," Jarrod began joking, "we don't want the townsfolk to talk about our acting unseemly in public." That comment earned him a playful swat from Beth._

"_Oh, you," Beth laughed._

"_Here we are, Beth," Jarrod began, "I need to pick up some paperwork for a case that I'm working on." With that, he helped Beth down from the Barkley Buggy._

_As they walked towards the door to Jarrod's law office, Cass Hyatt happened to cross their path._

"_Hey there, Counselor," Cass Hyatt sneered at Jarrod, "I bet you're surprised to see me out of prison, aren't you?"_

"_I'm not surprised at all, Mr. Hyatt," Jarrod replied calmly, causing Mr. Hyatt's blood to boil. "I was informed that you would be let go."_

"_Nothing seems to get past you, does it Barkley?" Mr. Hyatt sneered again. _

"_I'm an attorney," Jarrod began, "and I do have business with the state's attorneys and the sheriff's office, so I would know when anyone has been released from prison."_

"_Nothing ever riles you up," Mr. Hyatt sneered at Jarrod again, "you're just a picture of perfect peace, serenity and calmness, aren't ya there, boy?"_

"_Excuse me, Cass," Jarrod began, ushering his wife towards the door of his office, "I'm a very busy MAN, and I don't have time to waste. Now, if you'd excuse us." Jarrod put emphasis on the word man when dealing with Mr. Hyatt, letting Mr. Hyatt know that he was a man and not a boy, as Mr. Hyatt addressed him._

_Once inside the safety of Jarrod's office, Beth decided to question Jarrod about Mr. Hyatt._

"_Who is Cass Hyatt, and why is he so angry with you?" Beth asked, really wanting to know what was up between the two of them._

"_It's nothing, really," Jarrod began in response to Beth's question. "I prosecuted his case and caused him to spend time in prison. I guess he blames me for the decisions he made that caused him to spend time in prison."_

_Cass Hyatt watched as Jarrod and Beth entered Jarrod's law office._

'_I need get to that Jarrod Barkley character,' Mr. Hyatt thought to himself. 'That man has got to have an Achilles heel somewhere.' With that, Cass Hyatt growled and went about planning Jarrod's demise._

_**Back At The Ranch**_

_Victoria greeted Jarrod and Beth as they came back from town._

"_Where have you two been?" Victoria asked, knowing full well that they had went to town. "I was all set to bring you two breakfast in bed, only to find out that you had left about an hour earlier."_

"_Well, Mother," Jarrod began, "we told Heath to let you know that we would be heading out early to town. I needed some paperwork for a case I had been preparing for. Didn't he tell you?"_

"_Well, it wasn't Heath's fault at all," Victoria began, "I just began setting up a breakfast tray for you and Beth. I didn't take time to ask, or even check to see if you were even upstairs."_

_Silas gave the dinner's ready call, and they washed up and came to dinner. It was a pleasant evening for the Barkley clan, as they shared the events of the day, with the exception of Jarrod. He didn't dare tell his mother about his run in with that Cass Hyatt fellow, as Jarrod liked to call him, or curse him. Victoria, who had noticed Jarrod's silence, decided to ask him about his day._

"_Jarrod, Darling," Victoria began in an attempt to get Jarrod to open up about whatever it was that seemed to take his thoughts away from the table talk that was going on. "Did anything happen today that you'd like to share with us?"_

"_Nothing, Mother," Jarrod lied. "We just went to my office to get some much needed paperwork for my upcoming case."_

"_Are you sure, Son?" Victoria asked, convinced that Jarrod was purposely holding something back._

"_Yes, Mother," Jarrod lied again. _

"_Okay," Victoria replied. "Well, let's all go into the parlour for an after dinner drink." With that, they all headed for the parlour, with the exception of Beth and Jarrod._

"_Aren't you two coming?" Victoria asked._

"_Perhaps a little later, Victoria," Beth began, "Jarrod and I need to talk." Jarrod knew he was about to get an earful from his wife about that Hyatt fellow and his lying to his mother._

"_Okay." Victoria replied. "But, don't take too long."_

_Once the rest of the family was out of earshot, Beth started in on Jarrod._

"_Jarrod," Beth began incredulously, "how could you?"_

"_How could I what?" Jarrod replied in askance, feigning ignorance._

"_How could you lie to your mother like that?" Beth asked._

"_I didn't exactly lie to my mother, Beth," Jarrod began, "I just omitted information."_

"_No, Jarrod," Beth replied with a deep sigh, "you lied. Omitting information is lying, no matter how you try to fancy it up."_

"_Look, Beth," Jarrod began, "I'm not about to have my mother worrying about Cass Hyatt. We'll just leave it at that." Realizing that no further information would be coming from Jarrod, Beth stopped any further questions and headed up to bed, leaving Jarrod alone in the dining room with his thoughts._

_The next morning, Victoria got a wire from Audra stating that she would be arriving in Stockton tomorrow morning._

_At lunch time in the dining room, Victoria shared Audra's wire with the rest of the family._

"_I just got a wire from Audra this morning," Victoria announced to the family._

"_What did she say?" Jarrod asked. _

"_She should be arriving her tomorrow morning." Victoria replied._

"_Me and Beth will meet Audra at the depot." Jarrod replied. Victoria gave Jarrod the information, so that he and Beth would be able to meet Audra at the depot tomorrow morning._

_**At The Depot**_

_Jarrod and Beth greeted Audra at the train depot._

"_Hi, Jarrod!" Audra greeted her big brother enthusiastically._

_Hey there, Little Sis!" Jarrod greeted his baby sister as lifted her up and swung her around happily. "Audra, this is my new wife, Beth. Beth this is my little sister, Audra._

"_Hello, Audra." Beth greeted her sister-in-law. "It's nice to finally meet you."_

"_It's nice to meet you also, Beth," Audra greeted happily. Audra then turned back to Jarrod, "I've got a shopping partner." With that, all three shared a laugh._

"_Mother tells me that there's going to be a wedding?" Audra asked laughing, as she knew that Jarrod and Beth were already married._

"_Yes, Mother insists on having a wedding." Jarrod replied nonchalantly. _

"_That's understandable," Audra began, "we all want to see our Pappy take the marriage plunge."_

"_I guess you've got a point there." Jarrod replied. With that, they left for the ranch._

_**TBC**_


	3. Chapter 3: The Beginning Of The End

**Disclaimers: See Chapter One, please.**

**THE SECOND TIME AROUND**

**Chapter Three: The Beginning Of The End/Tragedy Strikes**

Jarrod's thoughts are still on the past, as he remembers the events that led up to Beth's shooting death.

_Jarrod headed off to his Stockton law office, while Beth stayed with Victoria and helped prepare dinner. It was at this time that Beth decided to get some information about Cass Hyatt._

"_Thank you so much for helping me with dinner, Beth," Victoria stated._

"_You're very welcome, Victoria." Beth replied._

_Victoria had a feeling that Beth had something on her mind and decided to call her on it._

"_I get the feeling that you have something you need to ask me," Victoria began, "I'll help as if I can."_

"_Who is Cass Hyatt?" Beth asked. Upon the confused look on Victoria's face, Beth continued. "We saw him last week. The look he gave Jarrod and the way in which he spoke to him sent chills down my spine." After Beth's question, Victoria remembered Jarrod's silence last week at the table a dinner and knew that Jarrod had that meeting on his mind._

"_Well, Jarrod prosecuted his case a few years back," Victoria began, "after the Jury came back with a guilty verdict, Mr. Hyatt vowed to kill Jarrod when he got out of prison."_

"_Oh." Was Beth's only response. _

_Jarrod came through the door, calling for his wife._

"_What are you doing home so early, Jarrod?" Beth teased. "Don't you realize you have a wife to support?"_

"_Have you forgotten our lunch date?" Jarrod teased back._

"_Lunch date?" Beth asked, furrowing her eyebrows. _

"_Yes," Jarrod began, "we planned a nice picnic lunch by the lake."_

"_I totally forgot." Beth replied. "Let me tell Victoria that we'll be leaving. I promised to help her get dinner prepared for tonight."_

"_While you do that," Jarrod began happily, "I'll load up the buggy for our picnic." Jarrod loaded up the buggy while Beth went to let Victoria know that she and Jarrod were headed for a picnic._

_**The Beginning Of The End**_

_Jarrod and Beth enjoyed the lunch that Silas packed for them for their picnic. Beth thought the place that Jarrod had chosen was so very romantic. As they sat and enjoyed each other's company, Jarrod told Beth of his plans to build them a home on the grounds where they had their picnic. As they discussed their plans for the future as husband and wife, and plans to start a family, a shot suddenly rang out. The next thing Jarrod knew was his wife's lifeless body. Beth had been shot._

"_BETH!" A distraught Jarrod Barkley cried out. He immediately had her in his arms. He looked to the area where the sound of the shot seemed to come from, but he didn't see anyone. Jarrod then lifted Beth's lifeless form into the buggy and rode like mad to Dr. Merar's office. Dr. Merar pronounced Beth dead on arrival, which caused Jarrod to cry out in agony._

"_Jarrod, why don't you go home?" A very sad Dr. Merar asked Jarrod. "There's nothing you can do here." Without a word, Jarrod left Dr. Merar's office and headed straight for Sheriff Fred Madden's office to inform him of Beth's death and to voice his opinion of whom he suspected._

_**The Sheriff's Office**_

"_Hello, Jarrod," Sheriff Fred Madden began, "What can I do for you?"_

"_This isn't a friendly visit, Fred," Jarrod began sadly._

"_What is this about, Jarrod?" Sheriff Madden asked._

"_My wife," Jarrod barely got it out of mouth, "she's been shot and killed." Jarrod then lost his composure. Fred waited until Jarrod was able to compose himself before he prodded him for more information on the shooting death of his new wife. When Fred saw that Jarrod was able to talk, he asked about the details of the shooting._

"_Where did the shooting take place, Jarrod?" Fred asked, poised to take notes._

"_It took place by the lake, while we were having a picnic." Jarrod responded._

"_Did you see anyone after the shot rang out?" Fred asked._

"_No, but I have an idea who's responsible!" Jarrod exclaimed angrily. "Cass Hyatt!"_

"_Jarrod, you just said you didn't see anyone," Sheriff Madden began, "so how can you be so sure it was Cass Hyatt?"_

"_Well he threatened to kill me when he got out of prison," Jarrod began angrily, "well, guess who's out of prison? Cass Hyatt, and he made sure that I knew he was out of prison."_

"_Jarrod, that may be," Sheriff Madden began, "but prison tends to change a person."_

"_But he threatened me, Fred," a livid Jarrod began, "and I believe he made good on his threat."_

"_But we still need proof that he's definitely the shooter, Jarrod," Sheriff Madden began, "you of all people should know that, Jarrod. You know the law, innocent until proven guilty." Sheriff Madden really felt for Jarrod and the pain he was now feeling. He knew what it felt like to lose a wife and he knew the tough times that Jarrod was in for, but he still had to follow the law._

"_But, Fred," a desperate Jarrod Barkley began, "I know that Cass Hyatt is guilty. He made good on his threat against me and now it looks like he's going to get off scott free."_

"_Jarrod," Fred began softly, "why don't you go home. There's nothing you can do here. You need to let your family know what happened."_

"_Thanks for nothing, Fred." Jarrod replied and angrily stomped out of the Sheriff's office, leaving an stunned Sheriff Fred Madden in his wake._

_**At The Ranch**_

"_Jarrod, Darling, you're home," Victoria began, and when she noticed that Jarrod was alone, she continued, "where's Beth?" _

"_She's gone," Jarrod replied simply. Nick, overhearing the conversation between Victoria and Jarrod, interjected his playful opinion._

"_What, she got tired of you already and decided to leave you?" Nick jabbed Jarrod good-naturedly. Jarrod would normally come back with a quick response to Nick's good-natured comment. But, when he remained silent, Nick continued._

"_What happened Jarrod?" Nick asked out of concern for the eldest Barkley child. "You know I was only joking, don't you?"_

"_Beth was shot this afternoon." Jarrod replied._

"_Well, how is she, Jarrod?" A concerned Victoria Barkley asked. "Is she with Dr. Merar?"_

"_No, Mother," Jarrod began sadly, "she didn't make it. She died instantly."_

"_I'm so, so sorry, Jarrod," Victoria began, sobbing for her first-born son. "Where were you and Beth when she was shot?"_

"_We were having our picnic and discussing our future," Jarrod replied, attempting to keep his tears at bay. He needed to be strong. He couldn't let his family see him breaking down, he was Pappy after all._

"_Did you let Fred know?" Victoria asked._

"_I did," an angry Jarrod began, "a lot of good that did."_

"_What do you mean, Jarrod?" Victoria asked, curious as to what Jarrod was getting at._

"_I told him that I have an idea of who might be responsible," Jarrod began, still angry that Fred wouldn't even consider the possibility of Cass Hyatt being a suspect. "But, he wouldn't even listen to me. He said I didn't have any proof of Mr. Hyatt's guilt."_

"_You think that Cass Hyatt might be responsible?" Victoria asked._

"_Why not, Mother," Nick interjected. "I was in the courtroom when that Hyatt fellow threatened Jarrod. He made sure that Jarrod know that he'd make his threat good."_

"_It's been nearly 10 years," Victoria began, "a lot can happen to a person."_

"_I understand what you're saying, Mother," Jarrod began, "but, you didn't see him. He still looked like he had a grudge with me. It seems as though he still holds me responsible for his spending 10 years of his life behind bars."_

"_Jarrod, you don't seriously think that Mr. Hyatt holds you responsible for his decision to commit a crime that placed him behind bars, do you?" Victoria asked._

"_Well, Mother," Jarrod began, "look at the facts. Mr. Hyatt saw me and Beth in town, and now she's dead, and he's God knows where. If he's not guilty, they'll have to prove it to me." With that, Jarrod turned on his heels and headed up to his bedroom to grieve in secret._

_After Beth's funeral, Jarrod was setting on the settee in front of the fireplace, staring into the fire and seeing Beth's shooting. As Jarrod sat on the settee, lost in his thoughts, there was a knock at the front door. Victoria answered the door._

"_Well, hello Fred." Victoria warmly greeted Stockton's sheriff. "Is there any news on Beth's shooting? Do you have a possible suspect?"_

"_I came by to let Jarrod know that I took his concerns about Cass Hyatt into consideration," Sheriff Fred Madden began, "and I took him into custody last night." Upon hearing about news about Cass Hyatt being in custody, Jarrod rose up and went to talk with the sheriff._

"_So, are any charges pending for Mr. Hyatt?" Jarrod asked anxiously._

"_Jarrod," Sheriff Madden began, "I had to let him go…" Sheriff Madden would have continued, but Jarrod angrily cut him off._

"_You let him go!" Jarrod replied incredulously. "On what grounds?"_

"_Jarrod, we just don't have enough evidence that places Cass Hyatt at the lake." Sheriff Madden replied. "Jarrod, you being an attorney, you know we need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cass Hyatt was there. You told me yourself that you didn't actually see the shooter."_

"_Fred," Jarrod began, "the man threatened my life in that courtroom! He promised to make good on his threat!"_

"_Jarrod, he said he was out of town visiting with his brother." An exasperated Sheriff Madden replied._

"_And I just bet that brother of his confirmed his alibi, huh?" Jarrod responded in anger._

"_Look Jarrod," Fred began in exasperation, "you of all people should know that a person is innocent until they can be proven guilty. That being said, I had to let him go."_

"_A lot of good you did for my Beth," Jarrod began, "thanks for nothing, Fred!" With that, Jarrod turned on his heels and headed toward the door, but not before Victoria yelled at him._

"_Jarrod!" Victoria yelled at her eldest child in exhausted exasperation. "Watch your tone. Fred is only trying to help, you know that, don't you?"_

"_That's okay, Victoria," Fred began, knowing that Jarrod was just lashing out due to grief over his wife's death. "He's in for a rough time, so you're going to have to bear with him. I've traveled that road before, and it's going to get really tough for him. You, Nick, Heath, Audra, Silas, Ciego and your ranch hands are just going to have to be there for him."_

"_Sounds like the voice of experience?" Victoria began in askance._

"_Yes, sadly," Sheriff Madden began. "About 2 years before I became the sheriff in Stockton, I lost my wife. She died of cancer. She was sick off and on for about 5 years. The last 2 years of her life were the most trying for me. I was a deputy sheriff in Nevada, but I had quit to take care of my wife. So, I know what it's like to lose the love of your life. I was blessed though. My wife and I were married for almost 30 years, but Jarrod was only married for a few weeks. That's got to be tough. Just be there for him, he's going to need all of your family's support."_

"_Thanks, Fred." A very grateful Victoria replied._

"_You're welcome, Victoria," Fred replied. "Let Jarrod know that me and the deputy will be investigating his wife's murder."_

"_I'll let him know, Fred," Victoria began, "and thank you once again." With that, Sheriff Madden took his leave and headed back to his office, leaving Victoria pondering what to do about Jarrod._

_Jarrod walked into the parlour as Victoria was lost in her thoughts regarding her eldest child._

"_I see that Fred has left," Jarrod began, "good riddance to old rubbish!"_

"_Jarrod," Victoria began calmly, remembering what Fred said about Jarrod needing the family's support, "you know he's right about us needing more evidence in order to get Cass Hyatt behind bars. And that's something that we don't have luxury of having right now."_

"_Look, Mother," Jarrod began hotly, "that man threatened my life and he killed my wife."_

"_Jarrod, you said you didn't see the shooter," Victoria began, saddened by her the desperation in her son's voice, "so how can you be certain that Cass Hyatt is the shooter?"_

"_Mother, I just know it," Jarrod began, "I have a gut feeling."_

"_Jarrod, that's not enough to send a man to jail, and possibly to the hangman's noose," Victoria replied. "We've got to get more proof of Mr. Hyatt's guilt." With that, Victoria bidded Jarrod a good night and headed to her bedroom, knowing that sleep wouldn't come easy for any of the Barkley family, especially her son, Jarrod. She knew he was in for a rough ride, so she planned to be there for him. She would be there to ride the rough waves with him. She left Jarrod to his many thoughts._

_The next day, Jarrod had his horse saddled, his saddlebags filled with food and drink. He also had his rifle and sleep roll hitched to his horse. Nick happened to be in the room with the pool table when Jarrod walked in. Upon looking at his older brother, Nick knew something wasn't right with his brother._

"_Jarrod, what's with the bedroll?" Nick asked with great concern for the Counselor. _

"_That is no concern of yours, Nicolas." Jarrod replied, slightly annoyed with the tall rancher._

"_Jarrod," Nick began concern, as Jarrod rarely called him by his full name, that is unless something was wrong. "Anything that concerns our family concerns me."_

"_This no concern of yours, Nicolas." Jarrod repeated again._

"_Look, Jarrod," Nick began, reaching out to touch his brother's shoulders, only to have Jarrod angrily hit him in his jaw, knocking the tall rancher out cold. With that, Jarrod turned on his heels and left the ranch, without even taking a second glance to check and see if Nick was okay._

_Later that morning, Victoria happened to go into the study to watch her sons play an early game of pool after breakfast. As she entered into the room, her eyes landed on her tall son lying on the floor. She rushed to him and called for Heath and Silas to help her with him._

"_Heath, Silas!" Victoria called excitedly. Heath and Silas came to her aid immediately._

"_What is it, Mother," Heath began, and then stopped in his tracks, looking down at his mother, attempting to arouse Nick out of unconsciousness. _

"_What happened, Mother?" Heath asked in concern._

"_What happened to Mr. Nick, Missus Barkley?" A concerned Silas asked._

"_I don't know," a very nervous Victoria replied. "I came in here, and found Nick lying on the floor." Audra came in and immediately she was with everyone else, at Nick's side._

"_What happened to Nick?" Audra asked near tears._

"_I don't know," Victoria replied. "As I was telling your brother and Silas, when I came in here, I found him like this." At that moment, much to the everyone's relief, Nick started to stir. His eyes fluttered opened._

"_Nick, Sweetheart," Victoria began, "what happened?"_

"_Jarrod's what happened." Nick replied simply, not wanting to cause his Pappy any trouble._

"_What do you mean, Big Brother?" Heath asked in concern._

"_Well," the tall rancher began, "Jarrod was packing things and saddling his horse, as if he was going on a long trip. So, I just asked him where he was going. He told me it was of no concern of mine. I asked him again, and when I did, he just hauled off and hit me."_

"_Boy howdy!" Heath exclaimed. "That sure doesn't sound like our Jarrod. I wonder what set him off like that?"_

"_He's grieving over Beth, Heath," Victoria began, "we're going to have to be extra careful around Jarrod. He's not himself and may not be himself for a long while. I remember when we lost Tom during that war with the rail-road, it took me awhile to get myself back together. It's going to be like that for Jarrod." With that, Victoria and Audra went about tending to Nick and the bruising on his face._

_Jarrod set out to get revenge on Cass Hyatt. He had plans to kill him and he didn't care if he ended up getting the death penalty, he had absolutely nothing to live for. He really didn't care if he lived or died. He lost his beautiful Beth Collins Barkley and he couldn't take the pain he was going through._

_Oh, yes, his mother told him how she felt after her beloved Thomas Barkley died, after being shot during a war with the railroad. But they were together long enough to have four children, it wasn't like his situation. He was only married a matter of weeks, four weeks to be exact. So, she wouldn't know how he felt. Then his mother told him of Sheriff Madden losing his wife, but they were married 30 years. So, no his situation wasn't the same either. _

_Jarrod went to Cass Hyatt's brother's home and beat him within an inch of his life. Mr. Hyatt' s brother swore to Jarrod that he only knew that his brother headed south. So, Jarrod headed due south after Cass Hyatt._

_Jarrod started feeling bad over his treatment of Nick. His younger brother was only trying to understand what was going on with his 'Pappy'._

"_Oh Nick," Jarrod began sadly, his head in his hands, "What have I done?" Everything started coming down on him. He really felt bad about punching his brother and knocking him out. _

_Jarrod made camp just outside of a town by the name of Rimfire. He pulled out his bedroll and immediately fell asleep, as the events of the day came crashing on top of him, causing him extreme exhaustion._

_The next morning, Jarrod was riding toward Rimfire, when all of the sudden, a gunshot rang out, grazing the right temple, causing him to fall off his horse._

_When he came to about an hour later, he made an attempt to ride to Rimfire. He barely made it past Rimfire's city line, barely riding on his horse. Some of the townsfolk saw him and immediately got the sheriff. _

_The sheriff got the town doctor. They both got Jarrod into a hotel room where the doctor took care of him._

_When Jarrod woke up, he had no idea where he was and how he got there. The last thing he remembered was riding on his horse._

"_Where am I?" Jarrod asked the man who was in the room with him. "Who are you?"_

"_I'm Sheriff Zack Fane and this is Doc Saxton," Sheriff Fane began, "he treated your wounds."_

"_How did I get here?" Jarrod asked again._

"_Well, you came riding here," Sheriff Fane began, offering Jarrod a small smile, "If you could call what you were doing riding. Me and Doc Saxton here, brought you up here, so that he can take care of you."_

"_I have business to take care," Jarrod began. He would have continued, but Doc Saxton cut him off effectively._

"_Not for a few days at the least, young feller," Doc Saxton began, his tone firm, "you have a serious crease on your right temple. I'm not taking any chances. I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know that you're okay."_

"_That's all fine and well, Doc," Jarrod began, returning a firm tone to Doc Saxton, "I aim to take care of my business."_

"_What business do have here in Rimfire?" Sheriff Zack Fane asked, curious to know what kind of business an attorney from Stockton would have in Rimfire. Zack found Jarrod's calling card in his wallet, which gave him Jarrod's name and his profession._

"_My business is of no concern to you," Jarrod replied, saying almost the same words to Nick two days before._

"_Anything that goes down here in Rimfire is of concern to me." Sheriff Fane replied, not taking any nonsense from the younger man in front of him. "So. I'll ask you again, Mr. Barkley, what business do you have here in Rimfire?"_

"_If you must know," Jarrod began, "I'm looking for a Cass Hyatt."_

"_And what do you plan on doing once you've found this Hyatt fellow?" Sheriff Fane asked, curious to know what Jarrod planned to do in his town._

"_I'm going to kill him!" Jarrod replied with his eyes gleaming with a fire that Sheriff Fane never seen in anyone's eyes._

"_Why pray tell are you going to kill him?" Sheriff Fane asked._

"_He killed my wife!" Jarrod exclaimed, still angry with that Hyatt fellow._

"_Why don't you just go to the sheriff with your claim?" Sheriff Fane asked, curious as to why the younger man was bent on taking the law in his own hands._

"_The sheriff said I don't have enough proof that Hyatt killed my wife." Jarrod replied, still full of anger over Sheriff Madden's decision to set Hyatt free from jail._

"_So, now you're attempting to take the law into your own hands, is that right?" Sheriff Fane, shaking his head at Jarrod's decision to play judge and jury too._

"_Yes!" Jarrod exclaimed. "I want justice to be served! And if so be that I have to take the law in my hand, then so be it."_

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Barkley," Sheriff Fane began sadly, "I can't let you kill that man." With that, Sheriff Fane left Jarrod's hotel room. Doc Saxton had promised Sheriff Fane that he would keep a close watch on Jarrod._

_Later that night, Sheriff Zane was called to one of the saloons on a disorderly conduct crime._

"_I didn't do anything!" Cass Hyatt lied, as many witnesses stated to Sheriff Fane that he was the one that started the fight at the saloon._

"_Well, Mister," Sheriff Fane began in anger and exasperation, "I beg to differ. There are many witnesses that stated that you're one who started the fight in the saloon. So stow it!" With that, Sheriff Fane hauled Cass Hyatt off to the local jail._

_Sheriff Zack Fane learned the name of his prisoner and was surprised to learn that his name was Cass Hyatt, the man that that Barkley fellow was looking for. Sheriff Fane decided to head to the hotel first thing the next morning and inform Jarrod of this latest development._

_The next morning found Sheriff Fane in Jarrod's hotel room._

"_Mr. Barkley, I have some news to tell you," Sheriff Fane began, "it's about that Cass Hyatt fellow you've been trying to hunt down."_

"_What about him?" Jarrod replied in askance._

"_Well," Sheriff Fane began, "he was arrested on a disorderly conduct charge. He'll be held in custody for 30 days or until the circuit judge comes, which ever comes first."_

"_I'll wait." Jarrod replied simply._

"_You mean to tell me," a stunned Sheriff Fane began in response, "that you're willing to wait here for 30 days for Cass Hyatt to be released from jail?"_

"_I'll wait even longer, if need be," Jarrod replied defiantly._

"_Boy, you are really bent on revenge, aren't you?" Sheriff Fane replied in askance. The sheriff was really surprised at Jarrod's resilience. "I can't let you do that, Mr. Barkley. You're going to have to let the law handle Mr. Hyatt. I can't let you kill the man."_

_The next day, Jarrod entered the sheriff's office with a large wad of bills and threw it down on Sheriff Fane's desk._

"_What's this for?" Sheriff Fane asked._

"_I want you to release Hyatt out of jail." Jarrod simply replied._

"_You know I can't do that, don't you?" Sheriff Fane replied._

"_I want you to release him!" Jarrod replied, not being deterred from his purpose._

"_You know," Zack replied, "if you kill Mr. Hyatt, I'll have to kill you, and I don't want to do that."_

"_I don't care what happens to me," a distraught Jarrod Barkley began, "I have nothing to live for. You'll just be doing me a favor, putting me out of the misery I've been going through for the past few weeks." _

_Jarrod's response truly threw Sheriff Zack Fane for a loop. He had no idea the depth of Jarrod's pain. Pain or not, Sheriff Fane knew he couldn't honor Jarrod's request, though the wad of money was tempting._

"_Jarrod, the offer is very tempting," Sheriff Fane admitted honestly, "but I can't honor your request. You're just gonna have to wait until you or Sheriff Madden can get some proof that Mr. Hyatt was your shooter."_

"_It seems that no one wants to see justice served!" Jarrod replied in anger. With he turned on his heels and stalked out of the sheriff's office. Jarrod left the big wad of bills in the sheriff's office._

_A few hours later, Sheriff Fane had a change of heart. He decided to release Cass Hyatt out of jail before the 30 days were up. His change of heart came, not for the money's sake, but for Jarrod's sake. He really felt bad for the young fellow, remembering the time his wife ran off with another man. He never got to see justice served, but through Jarrod's serving Cass Hyatt justice, he would see justice served._

"_What are you doing?" A very nervous Cass Hyatt asked, eyeing the sheriff suspiciously. _

"_I'm releasing you early, for good behavior," Sheriff Fane lied._

"_You're suppose to keep me locked up for at least 30 days," Mr. Hyatt began nervously, "you said so yourself."_

"_Well, there's been a change of plans, Mr. Hyatt," Sheriff Fane began, smiling like the famous Cheshire cat._

"_You can't!" Came Cass Hyatt's nervous plea._

"_I can and I am releasing you." Came Sheriff Fane's simple reply. With that, Sheriff Fane opened the jail cell and practically threw Cass Hyatt out._

"_Why are you doing this?" Cass Hyatt asked._

"_Well, that young fellow, Jarrod Barkley," Sheriff Fane began, "said that he'd wait for 30 days, but judging from the fire in his eyes, I'd imagine he'd wait 30 years for the chance to bump you off. Wouldn't you rather get it over and done with now?" With that, Sheriff Fane put Cass Hyatt out of the jail._

_A few minutes later, Jarrod Barkley saw Cass Hyatt and immediately chased him down. Cass Hyatt tried to outrun the younger man, but found that Jarrod had youth on his side. Jarrod effectively blocked the older man's path and pulled out his gun and aimed at the older man._

_Cass Hyatt realized that he was nothing more than a coward that used his gun to settle his fights. But for some reason known to only himself, Cass Hyatt took off his gun belt and threw it to the side when he saw Sheriff Fane walk up._

"_You can't shoot me, Counselor," the cowardly Hyatt began, "I'm unarmed." Then Hyatt quickly turned to the sheriff and said, "you can't let him shoot me, I'm unarmed."_

"_I don't need my gun," Jarrod replied, "I'll kill you with my bare hands." With that, Jarrod ran upon Cass Hyatt, who attempted to stop Jarrod from coming after him, by throwing a trashcan at him, making Jarrod all the more angrier and hell-bent on Hyatt's body apart._

"_I killed his wife!" Cass Hyatt finally admitted to Sheriff Fane, in the midst of Jarrod beating him senseless. "You have to arrest me!" _

_Cass Hyatt's admission of guilt didn't phase Jarrod one bit though because Jarrod grabbed Hyatt and proceeded to choke him. Just then, Nick and Heath rode upon Jarrod and Hyatt. Upon seeing their older brother strangling the older man, Nick and Heath immediately jumped off their horses and pulled Cass Hyatt from the clutches of Jarrod, who pulled out a gun and pointed in the direction of Heath._

"_Get away from him!" Jarrod yelled at Heath._

_Nick got in front of Jarrod's gun and looking at his older brother defiantly said: "If you want Cass Hyatt, you'll have to go through me!" Jarrod came to himself and realized that he had a gun pointed at his two brothers. With that, Jarrod turned and walked away in a daze. Heath released the breath he didn't realized he was holding._

_As everyone watched Jarrod walk away in a daze, Heath approached Sheriff Fane with a question regarding their brother, Jarrod._

"_Will there be any charges against my brother?" Heath asked, as he nodded his head in the direction of Jarrod's receding form._

"_No," Sheriff Fane replied, handing Heath a large wad of money. "This belongs to him." With that, Heath took the money. He and Nick bid Sheriff Fane a thank you for not pressing charges against the distraught Jarrod Barkley and also bid him farewell._

_Nick and Heath made arrangements for Jarrod to return home by stagecoach, as they realized that Jarrod was in no condition to ride Jingo home by himself. Nick took Jingo home while he rode Coco._

_Later that evening, Jarrod sat on the settee looking into the fire that was burning in the fireplace. Victoria approached her son to check on him._

"_How are you feeling, Sweetheart?" Victoria asked her oldest child._

"_I just feel nothing but shame." A very sad Jarrod replied. "I pulled a gun on my brothers! They are my best friends and I pulled a gun on them!"_

"_They understand that you were under so much stress after Beth's death, Jarrod." Victoria replied in an attempt to encourage her son._

"_How can they forgive me, when I can't even forgive myself?" Jarrod asked full of sadness at his actions._

"_Jarrod, they love you, you know that, don't you?" Victoria asked, smiling at he lovely son._

"_They must love me," Jarrod began, "if they can forgive me for pulling a gun on them and threatening their lives. That's true love!"_

"_They do love you, Jarrod, Sweetheart," Victoria began, offering Jarrod a watery smile. "And I love you too, my Sweet Prince."_

"_Thanks, Mother." Came Jarrod's simple response. With that, Victoria and Jarrod headed off to bed for some much needed rest._

_**TBC**_


	4. Chapter 4: Deep Thoughts Of Past Hurts

**Disclaimers: See Chapter One, please.**

**Many thanx to Lorilee for all of her help with the grammatical errors and keeping me from repeating phrases. All mistakes are my own.**

**The Second Time Around**

**Chapter Four: Deep Thoughts Of Past Hurts**

Jarrod was aroused out of his thoughts by his mother.

"Hello, son," Victoria greeted her eldest child. "You look as though you were deep in thought. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing all right, Lovely Lady," Jarrod replied. "I just been doing a lot of thinking of late."

"Thinking about what?" Victoria asked.

"Thinking about the past events of my life." Jarrod replied honestly.

"Well, I've been doing a lot of thinking myself, Jarrod," Victoria replied, her tone turning serious all of a sudden.

Jarrod looked at her in askance. "What have you been thinking about, Lovely Lady?"

"That it's high time for you start living again," came Victoria's simple response.

"What do you mean by that, Mother?" Jarrod was curious to know what was on his mother's mind.

"Jarrod, since Beth's death," Victoria started, "you have thrown yourself into your law practice." She would have continued, but a confused attorney cut her off.

"Mother, you told me that I needed to stop moping around and get back to practicing law," Jarrod argued slightly, "six months after Beth's death. So, I'm just doing what you told me I needed to do."

"Jarrod," Victoria continued, "I realize that I told you to go back to work, but you have been over doing it, son."

"Mother, what are you saying?" Jarrod asked.

"You need some time for yourself," Victoria replied. "You've been spending entirely too much time on your clients."

"That is my job after all, Mother," Jarrod reminded her, " and I need to be there for my clients, to help them get their cases together."

"Jarrod, it's been nearly two years since Beth's death," Victoria maintained. "It's time for you to start living again, Sweetheart. You need to go out on the town some nights. I think it's high time for you to be on the courting scene again."

"Okay, Lovely Lady," Jarrod fully understood what his mother was saying to him. She was right, he did throw himself into his law practice, both in Stockton and San Francisco. He barely had time for himself, let alone being out on the town, attempting to court some woman he barely knew. "You do have a point, and I'll take everything you've said into consideration. But, as for courting, I'll have to wait on that. I don't want to rush into anything too soon."

"All right, Jarrod," Victoria stated softly but firmly, "just don't wait too long." With that, Victoria went into the kitchen to help Silas with dinner, leaving Jarrod with more thoughts from the past.

Jarrod's thoughts took him back in time once again. He was taken six months after Beth's death, where he was having a really tough time dealing with life. He hadn't been back to his law offices, either in Stockton or in San Francisco, which was of great concern for Victoria.

_**Six Months After Beth's Death (The Past)**_

_Jarrod sat on the settee, looking into the fire that burned in the fireplace. He hadn't been to his Stockton or San Francisco law offices in nearly six months. He spent his days helping out at the ranch, which caused great joy for Nick and Heath, as they were glad to have their older brother's presence on the roundups. It brought pleasant memories back to Nick, as he remembered the many times he and Jarrod worked the ranch together, along with their father, Tom Barkley. As much as she loved seeing her three sons working on the ranch together, Victoria knew that Jarrod's place was in the courtroom, pleading cases for his many clients._

"_Jarrod, Sweetheart," Victoria started, gently touching his shoulder as she sat on the settee beside her eldest son. "I realize that you're having a very hard time dealing with the loss of Beth…" Victoria would have continued, but Jarrod cut her off._

"_But what?" Jarrod asked. Upon seeing the confusion cross his mother's beautiful features, Jarrod continued his thought. "I feel a but in there somewhere."_

"_Jarrod, I was wondering when you were going to go back to your law office." Victoria stated in concern._

"_Mother, I'm just not sure I'm up to going back to the office as of yet." Jarrod answered honestly._

"_Jarrod, it's been six months since Beth's death," Victoria began, "don't you think it's time for you to start living your life again?"_

"_Mother, I need to be at the top of my game when I'm defending my clients," Jarrod stated sadly._

"_Okay, Jarrod," Victoria agreed, "we'll talk about this later."_

"_I know we will, Lovely Lady," Jarrod stated, offering Victoria a small smile._

_Later that afternoon, there was a knock on the door. Victoria went to see who it was. _

"_Hello, Mrs. Barkley." Theodore O'Malley greeted Victoria warmly, holding an envelope in his hand. "This telegram came for you today. It's from the Women's League."_

"_Oh, thank you, Mr. O'Malley." Victoria replied._

"_Mrs. Barkley, how many times have I told you to call me Theodore?" Mr. O'Malley asked._

"_Probably as many times I've asked you to call me Victoria." Victoria replied, as she prepared to give Mr. O'Malley a hefty tip._

"_You've got me there, Victoria." Mr. O'Malley replied._

"_You have a great day, Theodore." Victoria bid Mr. O'Malley goodbye. Just then, Mr. O'Malley happened to look at the tip Victoria had given him._

"_Mrs. Barkley, um, I mean Victoria," Mr. O'Malley replied in shock, "you shouldn't have!"_

"_Yes, I should have," Victoria insisted, chuckling at the look on Mr. O'Malley's face, "you work so hard and it's just my way of thanking you for all of the hard work you've done."_

"_Thank you, Victoria," Mr. O'Malley stated happily, "and you have a great day, too." With that, Mr. O'Malley hurried off merrily and Victoria went to see what the Women's League's telegram was all about._

_As Victoria read the telegram, her eyes grew wide, because in that telegram was request for another favor. They wanted Jarrod's help once again with a possible client. This person needed his help. When she saw the name of the client, her eyes grew even wider. How would she be able to ask Jarrod to help this client. This woman caused her son much trouble, to the point of having her boyfriend come to the house and point a gun at both Jarrod and Silas._

"_MOTHER!" Nick's loud voice effectively shook Victoria out of her reverie._

"_Nicolas, must you always announce your presence in such a loud fashion?" Victoria asked. "One day you're going to break every bit of glass in this house, not to mention my eardrums!"_

"_Sorry, Mother," came Nick's sheepish response._

"_I'm sorry, Nick, for yelling at you," Victoria apologized to her second son. "It's this telegram that came a few minutes ago." Victoria showed it to Nick, which caused him to let out a low whistle._

"_The Women's League wants Jarrod's help with her again," Nick started incredulously. "They've got to be kidding! After what she's done to Jarrod, you'd think she wouldn't show her face in Stockton again, let alone ask for his help. Can't the Women's League find another lawyer to help them?"_

"_Apparently not," Victoria replied._

"_is Jarrod the only attorney in town?" Nick demanded to know._

"_I'm quite sure there are other attorneys in Stockton," Victoria replied, "but he's the only one they trust, apparently."_

"_By the way, where is Jarrod?" Nick was curious to know his big brother's whereabouts._

"_He's up in his room," Victoria told him, "he's probably napping. I spoke with him regarding his going back to his office."_

"_What did he say?" Nick asked with concern for his big brother._

"_He's still not ready to go back to work," a sad Victoria responded._

"_Mother," Nick stated, looking at the telegram from the Women's League. "This could be a blessing in disguise."_

"_What do you mean, Nick?" Victoria asked._

"_Reckon this'll be the swift kick that Jarrod needs to get him back to practicing law." Nick told her._

"_Perhaps," Victoria mused thoughtfully._

"_Come to think of it," Nick reconsidered, "after the way that woman treated him, Jarrod might not want anything to do with the case."_

"_Now, Nick," Victoria chastised, "it's been a few years and people do change. Perhaps she's outgrown her wildcat ways."_

"_Yeah and I believe in the tooth fairy," came Nick's incredulous response, not fully believing that the young woman in question would be willing to mend her ways._

"_Nick," Victoria said, "sooner or later, we're going to have to mention this telegram to Jarrod." Just then, they heard Jarrod in the kitchen talking with Silas._

"_Well," Nick began, "you'd better tell him now. I think I hear him." Nick went up the stairs in an attempt to avoid being around when his mother told Jarrod about the telegram._

"_Coward." Victoria accused Nick._

"_I may be a coward, but I ain't no fool." Nick replied and then speedily headed up the stairs._

_Jarrod was curious. "What do you have there, Mother?" _

"_It's a telegram," Victoria replied._

"_Who's it from?" Jarrod asked again._

"_It's from the Women's League." Victoria told him._

_Jarrod feared the answer as he asked, "What do they want now?" _

"_Here, Jarrod." Victoria handed him the telegram. "It's a case that they want your help with. _

_As Jarrod read the contents of the telegram, his dashingly handsome features darkened considerably. His normally bright blue eyes took on an uncharacteristically dark hue._

"_They've got to be kidding!" Jarrod exclaimed incredulously. "I won't take this case, no matter what, and you can tell them that for me."_

"_No, Jarrod," Victoria responded, her tone firm. "You're going to have to tell them yourself."_

"_They sent the telegram to you, didn't they?" Jarrod muttered grumpily._

"_Yes they did," Victoria replied, "but, you need to let them know why you won't take the case."_

"_That's easy," Jarrod retorted angrily, "that woman went back to her criminal boyfriend, after all I did for her. I even talked Judge Parker into getting on board with me to set her up with a job. And what did she do? She went back to that boyfriend of hers. Once a wildcat, always a wildcat."_

"_Jarrod," Victoria stated thoughtfully, "don't you think you're being hard on her?"_

_Jarrod replied simply, "no, I don't, Mother." _

"_Jarrod, people do change," Victoria reminded him, "you of all people should know that. Don't you remember Keno Nash, and what became of him? He was one of our hardest, if not the hardest workers on our ranch. After he and Meg got married, he left Stockton and moved to Nevada to start their own blacksmithing business."_

"_He wanted to change," Jarrod argued, "he told me so. He told me that he had been an animal most of his life. He said that I made him want to be a man. He really wanted to change, Mother. So this isn't the same thing."_

_Victoria's response was thoughtful. "Jarrod, you don't know whether or not this young woman wants to change, no one really knows. All I'm asking is that you hear her out. Give her the chance to make it right with you and Judge Parker. Everyone deserves a second chance. You also must take into consideration that the events we're speaking about happened a few years ago. She's a little older now and may have grown out of her wild ways."_

"_I hope you're right, Mother." Jarrod stated._

"_Does that mean you'll take her case?" Victoria asked hopefully._

"_I can't make any promises," Jarrod told her honestly, "but, I will take it into consideration, that's all I can offer for now."_

"_That's all we can ask for, Jarrod," Victoria replied, full of hope that Jarrod would be able to get back to his law practice._

"_Mother, I'm gonna head off to bed," Jarrod said, as he kissed his mother gently on her cheek. "So, I'll bid you adieu, Lovely Lady." With that, Jarrod headed off to bed, leaving a very pleased Victoria Barkley in his wake._

_The next morning, Jarrod headed to his law office in Stockton to pick up some legal forms for Nick, which were needed for ranch business. Jarrod had to admit that he missed being in the thick of things when it came to his law practice. He missed arguing his cases before the judge and the jury. _

'_Mother was right after all,' Jarrod thought to himself. With that, Jarrod packed the needed legal forms in his attaché case and then headed down the road to the local café for a much needed cup of coffee. As Jarrod walked through the door of the café, he was greeted with warm words._

"_Welcome back, Counselor," Scott Jackson, the café owner greeted warmly. "We really missed seeing you here. Are you back working?"_

"_We'll see," came Jarrod's simple reply. Jarrod wasn't fully ready to come back to his law practice. But truth be told, he did miss his work._

"_Did you hear who's back in town?" Mr. Jackson asked excitedly._

"_Yes, Scott," Jarrod answered, wanting nothing more than to drop the subject of his possible client. "I heard."_

"_The nerve of her," Mr. Jackson began in anger, "after what she did to our town, and not to mention to you, Jarrod."_

"_Well, Scott, it was Billy Joe Gaines and his cohorts that were the real culprits," Jarrod began, "Maybelle Williams was just caught up in his foolishness. I assume that's who you were referring to when you asked me if I knew who was back in town."_

"_Of course that's who I was referring to, Jarrod," Mr. Jackson replied._

"_Well, Scott, everyone deserves a second chance, and that includes her," Jarrod responded, repeating the words his mother spoke to him earlier. "I'm going to try and keep an open mind. It's gonna be hard, I know. But, it's high time for me to move on and get over the things that people have done to me in the past." With that, Jarrod order a cup of coffee and a piece of apple pie._

"_I guess you're right, Counselor," Mr. Jackson replied, "we all deserve a second chance."_

"_I hope Sue made this pie and not you, Scott," Jarrod joked, attempting to lighten the mood. Scott was a trusted family friend, after all._

"_I'll have you know that I am the best pie maker this side of Texas!" Scott proclaimed in his naturally silly manner, which always got a great laugh from the townspeople, especially the Barkley family._

"_Can you explain what happened a mere three weeks ago, Scott?" Jarrod asked, enjoying the light banter with Scott. "I mean, that was the saltiest apple pie that I had the displeasure of tasting."_

"_My Sweet Sue," Scott attempted to tell the story without laughing, but he was very unsuccessful, "accidentally put salt in the sugar decanter. And yours truly put the salt into the pie."_

"_So that's what happened?" Jarrod replied, unable to keep from laughing at his friend._

"_You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?" Scott asked in mock incredulity._

"_You better be glad it was me that had the dubious pleasure to taste the salty pie." Jarrod teased. "Just imagine if it had been Nick."_

"_The whole of Stockton would have heard about it." Scott replied._

"_With me," Jarrod said with a wink, "it's just our secret."_

"_Yeah, okay, Jarrod," Scott said, "you've got a point there, a really good point."_

_After dinner, Jarrod sat on a chair in the parlor, very much exhausted after going over a local grocer's accounts. Jarrod couldn't believe how Stanley Cooper was able to stay in business without drawing unwanted attention from the Internal Revenue Service. Jarrod began rubbing the bridge of his nose, as a headache began to form._

"_Son," Victoria wondered, "is everything okay? I noticed that you barely touched your meal and you were unusually quiet tonight."_

"_Nothing, really, Mother." Jarrod replied. "It's just that I've been going through Stanley's accounts for his grocery business and it's just unbelievable. I can't understand how a man, who claims to have many years of college and business experience can have his finances in such a tangled mess! Unbelievable!"_

"_Stanley, it's sad to say," Victoria responded, "tried to do his own accounting. From what I've heard, Stanley earned a degree in civil engineering, and not a business degree."_

"_Then why in blazes would he even attempt to do his own accounting?" Jarrod asked incredulously. "That man has the brains of a flea."_

"_Now, Jarrod, that wasn't very nice, was it?" Victoria replied in exasperation, trying really hard to keep from bursting out in laughter._

"_Mother, the man is a tax accident waiting to happen," Jarrod told her. "I really feel bad for his employees, though."_

"_Perhaps you can help him get his finances in order, Jarrod." Victoria suggested._

"_Perhaps I can at that." Jarrod said. Upon looking at his mother's face, Jarrod knew that she wanted to ask him something more. "Is there something you need, Mother?"_

"_Jarrod, how's Maybelle Williams' case coming along?" His curious mother asked._

"_It's just a matter of proving that Billy Joe Gaines and not Maybelle," Jarrod began by explanation, "was responsible for the stolen goods that were found in the hotel room, since the room was in Billy Joe's name."_

"_Isn't that what happened to Maybelle the first time?" Victoria wondered._

"_Yes, Mother," Jarrod told her, wondering what Maybelle saw in the foolish outlaw. "That Billy Joe is one dumb kid."_

"_Criminals aren't usually the smartest folks," Victoria stated. "Though there are some that have gotten away with their evil deeds."_

"_That's a sad, but true statement," Jarrod thoughtfully agreed._

"_Jarrod," Victoria started, upon a careful perusal of Jarrod's face, and seeing the exhaustion threatening to swallow Jarrod up whole. "Sweetheart, don't you think you should be heading off to bed? You look like you're about to fall over."_

"_Mother, I need to get these figures balanced for Stanly," Jarrod replied. He would have continued, but Victoria interrupted him._

"_Son," Victoria insisted in her motherly voice, "that really can wait. Stanley's the one who waited until the last minute to get his finances in order. You're a lawyer, not a work horse."_

"_Okay, Mother," Jarrod replied, but was reluctant to stop working on the troubling accounts of Mr. Cooper. "Just a few more minutes and I'll call it a night."_

"_No, Jarrod," Victoria told him in a firm voice, that Jarrod feared, even though he was an adult. "I mean right now. I want you to stop what you're doing and head up to bed."_

_Upon seeing Jarrod's attempt to use puppy-dog eyes on her, she repeated her command with a smile. "To bed now, Jarrod!" With that, Jarrod headed up to his bedroom. He knew his mother was right. Mr. Cooper would really appreciate it if Jarrod was operating with his faculties in order._

_Victoria had to smile. Even though Jarrod was in his late twenties, he wasn't above using the same scheme to keep from having to go to bed that he had used when he was a small lad in grade school._

'_No matter how old my children get,' Victoria thought to herself, 'they'll always be my little babies,' she chuckled. With that, she extinguished a few of the lamps, but left one on, because Nick had mentioned that he and Heath would be back sometime after midnight tonight. She then headed up to bed. She and Audra had a big day planned for the children at the orphanage. _

_**Fool Me Once, Shame on You/Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me**_

_There was a knock on the door, which Nick Barkley answered._

"_Yes, he's here," Nick spoke to someone at the front door of the ranch. "Let me see if he's available to speak with you. He was working on a case earlier."_

_Nick came into the study to inform Jarrod of their visitor._

"_Jarrod," Nick began, "there's a Mrs. Bridgette Baxter here to see you."_

"_You can show her in, Nick," Jarrod replied, "she's here on behalf of the Women's League. She's here to discuss a case that they want me to revisit."_

"_Oh, her case," Nick began, his voice carrying a very incredulous tone. "Jarrod, why are you doing this to yourself? What's so special about this woman that you feel you have to stick your neck out for her? Remember the old saying, 'fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me? That might fit like a glove when it comes to you, Jarrod."_

"_Nick, I'm an attorney and I have a job to do," Jarrod replied, knowing that his younger brother wouldn't understand what he was saying._

"_No, Pappy," Nick began, "it's something more. I can't put my finger on it, but there's definitely more to it than the 'it's my duty' that you're trying to throw me.'"_

"_Nick, what in blazes are you talking about?" Jarrod asked, his tone slightly amused. His brother, at times, had an imagination that wouldn't quit._

"_You mean to tell me you don't know what I'm talking about?" Nick said incredulously. "You of all people should know, Jarrod."_

"_Why don't you tell me, Nick?" Jarrod laughed slightly. "Enlighten me, please!"_

"_I'm not saying," Nick replied. "I shouldn't have to tell you anything, you're my big brother and you should know of the affairs of the heart."_

"_Nick, now I know you've gone off the deep end," Jarrod began, unable to keep the amusement out of his eyes and his countenance. "I'm just doing a favor for the Women's League. I surely don't know where you're getting your information from, but whoever you got it from, you'd better fire them."_

"_Anything you say, Pappy, anything you say." Nick replied._

_As Jarrod sat at his desk in his law office, the there was a knock at the door. Jarrod's secretary, Esther Hastings answered the door. She was surprised to see Maybelle Williams at the door._

"_May I help you?" Esther asked, eying the younger woman suspiciously._

"_Yes," Maybelle began nervously, "I'm here see Jarrod Barkley. A Mrs. Bridgette Baxter sent me here."_

"_I'll see if he's available." Mrs. Hastings replied honestly. Jarrod was a busy man at times, and she didn't want Jarrod to be upset with her, so she thought it would be good to be on the safe side to check with Jarrod regarding the young woman in front of her. The same young woman that caused Jarrod a lot of trouble._

"_Excuse me, Mr. Barkley?" Mrs. Hastings began in askance._

"_Yes, Esther?" Jarrod responded cautiously._

"_There's a Miss Maybelle Williams to see you," Mrs. Hastings began, "should I show her in?" _

"_Yes, I might as well get this over with," Jarrod began, "the sooner, the better." With that, Esther ushered Maybelle into Jarrod's inner office._

"_Hello, Mr. Barkley," Maybelle greeted._

"_Hello, Miss Williams," came Jarrod's professional response. Jarrod vowed that he wouldn't be fooled again. "How may I help you?"_

"_Well, Mrs. Baxter sent me here," Maybelle began, "said that you were going to be helping me with my case again."_

"_Is there any reason I should be able to trust you this time, Miss Williams?" Jarrod asked in a cool manner, which caught Maybelle totally off guard._

"_You can trust me, Mr. Barkley." Maybelle replied, trying to regain Jarrod's trust. She knew he would have a hard time trusting her, and she really couldn't blame him. She ran off with her old boyfriend, Billy Joe Gaines, after Jarrod had everything squared away with the sheriff and with Judge Elroy Parker._

"_After what you did," Jarrod began incredulously, "you expect me to help you out? I really put myself out for you, and so did Judge Parker. You really had us fooled."_

"_Oh, c'mon, Counselor!" Maybelle replied in frustration. "Please give me a second chance. I realized I messed up and put you and Judge Parker in a bad place. I was young and dumb. I thought I was in love and I thought Billy Joe loved me, too. But I was wrong, and I'm paying royally for it. Live and learn, I guess."_

"_Okay, I'll help you," Jarrod replied, relenting. "I'll give you another chance. But, you'll have to remember if you have one more slip up, I won't be able to help you. I'm going to set up an appointment for you to meet with me, Judge Parker and Sheriff Madden. I'll let you know the date and time."_

_Later that day, Maybelle walked to Judge Parker's office and spoke to him. She apologized for her behavior a few years back. Judge Parker graciously accepted Maybelle's apology, because he knew that she was sincere. Judge Parker was a great judge of character. Hence, his relationship with Jarrod Barkley. From the first time Judge Parker met Jarrod when he was just a young man starting law school, he knew he was an honorable man._

_**TBC**_

**Author's Note: I apologize for long wait. I hope to post the next few chapters much sooner. ENJOY!**

**American Civil War (1861–65) [The Humble Beginnings of the I.R.S.]**

In July 1862, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln and Congress created the office of Commissioner of Internal Revenue and enacted an income tax to pay war expenses (see Revenue Act of 1862). The position of Commissioner exists today as the head of the Internal Revenue Service.

The Revenue Act of 1862 was passed as an emergency and temporary war-time tax. It copied a relatively new British system of income taxation, instead of trade and property taxation. The first income tax was passed in 1861:

The initial rate was 3% on income over $800, which exempted most wage-earners.

In 1862 the rate was 3% on income between $600 and $10,000, and 5% on income over $10,000.

In 1864 the rate was 5% on income between $600 and $5,000; 7.5% on income $5,000–$10,000; and 10% on income $10,000 and above.

By the end of the war, 10% of Union households had paid some form of income tax, and the Union raised 21% of its war revenue through income taxes.


End file.
